While on vacation in Aruba at the beginning of this month, we ate at a Cuban restaurant. The meal in all was outstanding but the hit of the night for me was a piece of tres leches cake I ordered for dessert. I'd never had it before so thought I would give it a try. WOW! It was outstanding and I want to be able to make it.

I have searched the internet and found many recipes in two different categories. One cake is made with egg whites, sugar, flour and vanilla. The other is a more normal yellow cake recipe.

The tres leches part is fairly standard.

Most of the recipes call for a whipped cream frosting. One calls for a meringue topping.

Anyone have an authentic recipe?

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"If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe." -Carl Sagan

I don't have a specific recipe, but most of our kitchen staff is from El Salvador and periodically one or another will bring in a tres leche cake for a birthday (and I'm in heaven). They seem to be in consensus. They use "the cake like for the pineapple with the cherries." I've never made a pineapple-upside down cake, but it's basically a butter cake, right? Some use a recipe and one uses a boxed mix specifically for a pineapple upside-down and just don't add the fruit or sauce. He said he used to make the cake from a recipe, but the box is just as good so now he uses that. Once it's cooled they poke it with a fork all over, mix the cream, condensed, and evaporated milk according to their own taste and pour it over. Then it gets put in the fridge to chill and really soak in. Once it's ready (usually the next day), they serve it with whipped cream.

The end product is fairly dense, but even with all those rich ingredients, somehow almost refreshing.

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Andy--I have one from a university friend who was from Mexico City. Unfortunately, since I am moving, I can't dig it out at the moment. Her base was more sponge-cake like, not a boxed yellow cake and she did the poke with a fork and pour the three different milks on it, no frosting/whipped cream. It was very good.

According to Wikipedia, the base is a sponge cake base. Did you check the external links under Wikipedia? I didn't like Alton's version. Beatriz's used the tres leches condensed milk from Mexico. (I picked up a couple of cans the last time I was at Walmart in MN--just haven't made the cake yet!).

I think that real tres leches cake is made with a white sponge type cake. I've seen many recipes out there using a yellow cake mix, but that doesn't seem right at all. I think that you need a cake with a bit more structure, not quite as tender to stand up to all that milk (once soaked should be very tender, but not falling apart and mush).

I think that real tres leches cake is made with a white sponge type cake. I've seen many recipes out there using a yellow cake mix, but that doesn't seem right at all. I think that you need a cake with a bit more structure, not quite as tender to stand up to all that milk (once soaked should be very tender, but not falling apart and mush).

ISO Tres Leches Cake RecipeAndy M.While on vacation in Aruba at the beginning of this month, we ate at a Cuban restaurant. The meal in all was outstanding but the hit of the night for me was a piece of tres leches cake I ordered for dessert. I'd never had it before so thought I would give it a try. WOW! It was outstanding and I want to be able to make it.
I have searched the internet and found many recipes in two different categories. One cake is made with egg whites, sugar, flour and vanilla. The other is a more normal yellow cake recipe.
The tres leches part is fairly standard.
Most of the recipes call for a whipped cream frosting. One calls for a meringue topping.
Anyone have an authentic recipe?3 stars
1 reviews